Crossed Paths
by Crystal Kira
Summary: Clear wasn't very pleased with how Mink had been treating his Master- not one bit. (Crossing of Mink and Clear's routes, rated for rape and violence.)


**A/N: Birthday present for my lovely friend, Sunni. She recommended I share it with everyone.**

**Rated for rape and violence. (Nothing we didn't see already in Mink's route, basically.)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Why did I come here alone with him?_ I thought to myself, realizing now how futile this situation was.

Mink was pinning me to the floor, beating me down and forcing me to submit, keeping me from struggling and fighting back.

I really should've tried to meet up with some of the others first, I think with regret.

… Koujaku, Noiz, Clear.

…_Clear._

I tried to ignore the burning pain I was feeling all over my body from the way Mink's knuckles had pounded into my bones, and the way those massive metal bracelets of his had slammed against the sensitive parts of my body.

Ugh… I could taste blood. The metallic taste was flooding my mouth, and I was dizzy from all the blows to my head. I tried to spit back at him, still struggling and trying to get away- but from this position, I couldn't get enough leverage to really get in a good kick.

_So this is how it's going to be. He's going to fight me, every time he gets frustrated? Or just to get me to switch over whenever he wants?_

I refused. I didn't want to let go of the careful hold I'd been struggling to keep on my other half. That "other" consciousness inside of me. I hated it- I'd… with that power, I had…

Mizuki…

Everything was becoming too much. I felt nauseous- he'd begun to kick me right in the gut, making me curl up in agony as I choked slightly on some of my blood. But soon enough, everything felt dim, and my vision was going black.

I wanted to just sleep it away.

I was jolted out of my reverie by Mink choking me, ordering me not to sleep, his large hand around my neck tightly, his thick fingers squeezing and making it impossible to breathe. I cursed mentally, and I tried again to break free, only to receive another strike. I cried out in pain, but Mink only snorted, seeming amused with my constant attempts (and failures) at escape.

Derisively, he tells me, "You know the truth, don't you? When you're beaten down and controlled like this… it puts you at ease." He continues speaking, words in my ears meant to make me give up.

…it worked.

It would be easier, to just take everything, without fighting back. Just letting things happen and not being bothered to stop it anymore, to lessen the pain.

Yeah… that sounded better.

I could vaguely register Mink undressing me as he ordered me into a different position, and soon I heard his own clothes rustling. I was naked from the waist down now- my shirt covered in my own blood, my skin starting to bruise all over my body, lip still bleeding, blood still trickling from my mouth and bitten tongue. I probably looked a mess.

But I didn't want to care anymore. I just wanted this to stop.

From where I was on the floor, if I lifted my head slightly, I could see the door. But at this point, all I could wonder was if someone would ever come to help me, if I ended up trapped here. Would anyone besides me and Mink even be able to walk through that door? I really was trapped, with him.

I never really did learn what Mink wanted, either, and he refuses to tell me anything. For all I know, we might not have the same goals at all. So I'm stuck.

Giving up sounded so tempting.

I shut my eyes, only to cry out when I felt him thrust into me without any preparation at all. The pain was searing, and I could feel myself tearing, stretching to fit around him. It hurt so badly, everything only got even worse.

I wanted to pass out.

My vision started to go black again. I felt light-headed, but heavy-bodied, like I was trying to float but held down.

And then-

"Get away from Master."

The voice was familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Something was… very different about this voice. The tone, it seemed… heavier, _darker_, than I was used to hearing it, so where have I heard-?

And then it hit me.

_Clear_.

Just as his name came to mind, I opened my eyes and saw a fist crash right into Mink's head from behind, before a kick knocked him away from me. I gave a cry of pain- Mink had been inside me, after all, and him suddenly being torn away and out of me hurt.

But I was just glad that it was over, now. I watched in a daze, too weak and in too much pain to do much besides maybe shuffle a foot away from where I'd been.

Clear was fighting like I'd never seen before. When we'd fought Morphine in that warehouse, Clear's fighting, while powerful, had been almost comical. He hadn't been taking it too seriously, back then. But right now… I couldn't see his face, because of that mask, but I could tell by his movements that he was out to kill.

His movements were swift, fast, and precise- he'd jab and punch and kick right into Mink's weak and unguarded spots, and Mink did his best to fight back. Mink was powerful, muscled and well-built, raw power in his every calculated move. They both fought silently, though, and aside from the sound of their blows, neither of them said anything.

The fight looked even for a while, but soon enough, it became apparent that Clear had gotten the advantage from his surprise attack- he'd managed to land enough blows to throw Mink off when he finally got up to fight.

But it went from amusing to scary, as I realized that Clear wasn't going to back down- he seemed unfazed by any of Mink's blows, and he just kept fighting more and more angrily, seeming deadly, like an assassin ready and poised to kill.

The moment I realized that Clear really meant to kill him, I found my voice.

"Clear! Clear- stop it! _Stop it!_" I tried calling out to him, but he paused only briefly- which gave Mink the opportunity to hit him again, and they were fighting once more.

"_**Stop it!**_" I shouted now, trying my hardest to be heard. But it didn't work. They were still fighting, loose and deadly and furious in front of me. They would wreck the place, at this rate.

I hoped it would be over soon.

It was the last thing I thought before I finally passed out.

* * *

When I woke up, I felt a tongue licking at my cheek, soft fur against my face.

"Ren…?" I murmured groggily, my eyes opening slowly.

"Aoba," Ren's voice rang in my ears, and I relaxed. "Are you alright?"

I took a moment to evaluate myself. I shut my eyes, a massive headache coming on again. I couldn't tell if it was my usual headaches, or something from the way Mink had beaten me. My entire body felt sore, my hips were aching, I didn't dare try to move my legs.

"I'm fine," I murmured, raising a weak hand to pat at Ren's head, ruffling his fur between my fingers. Ren didn't seem convinced, but curled up on the pillow next to my head, his warmth soothing me a bit and helping me to relax after all that had happened.

"Master?" Clear's voice, now. I jolted a little, startled- I hadn't realized he was there. I must have really been out of it. He was sitting in a chair beside the bed, looking at me with what I felt was concern.

(It really was hard to tell, with that mask on his face. But his voice gave it away, anyway.)

"Clear… how did you get here?" I asked, since it was the first thing that came to mind. How did he get past security? Or find where I was staying- let alone get through the door of Glitter? How the hell did he get here?

Not that I wasn't glad he was here, though.

I was really, really glad he was here.

Clear was a little weird, but at least I knew he was friendly. He was open, and honest, a lot more than Mink was. I would choose him over Mink any day.

"I was worried about Master, so I heard from Haga-san that Master and Mink-san had gone into Platinum Jail together. So I came," he said, but that didn't really tell me anything I wanted to know at all.

"But _how_? There was security, checkpoints, and how did you find me here in Glitter?" I asked again, trying to speak up a bit more. My throat ached from Mink choking me, my voice still felt a bit weak.

"I didn't have trouble getting in," Clear said, tilting his head at me in confusion. "I just touched the pads and I was let in with an ID of my own," he explained. "Same for Glitter. I thought I heard you, so I chose the right house."

Ugh… that just opened up more questions instead of answering them.

But I was too tired for it now. I changed topics.

"Where's Mink?" I asked. I was starting to remember more- especially about Mink and Clear's fight. "Is he injured?"

It had been brutal… but Clear didn't seem to be injured at all. But with all the clothes he wore, I couldn't really tell. I hadn't realized it before, but Clear had almost every inch of skin covered somehow.

I snapped out of it when he talked.

Clear's tone and posture shifted slightly, along with his demeanor. "Mink did something unforgivable to Master, so he left looking rather bad," Clear said, his cheerful tone changing into something slightly more flat, almost disdainful- maybe even with suppressed anger. "I won't let him hurt Master again," he assured next, giving me what I assumed must have been an earnest, but serious look.

He surprised me, though, by taking my hand and squeezing it. His hand was warm, even through the glove he was wearing. And feeling his hand around mine soothed me. It was physical contact that wasn't painful, it was friendly, and reassuring, and what I needed after what I'd gone through.

I was really, really relieved that he came.

"Thank you," I murmured, still exhausted, my eyes only half open.

I don't know why I did, but I squeezed his hand back.

I realized now that I was in boxers, and I felt clean, despite what I'd been through. Clear must've cleaned me up before re-dressing me again… I would've been bothered by that, normally, but I felt I could trust him. I didn't feel like he'd taken advantage of me, and I don't think he's the type to.

I would've said he seemed too innocent, but remembering the ruthless way he fought with Mink reminded me that there was another side of him I didn't know yet.

I should've been scared, but he'd just saved me from being raped. And gotten Mink out of Glitter.

I was more grateful than anything.

"I'll do anything to help Master, so Master doesn't need to thank me," Clear said in reply, knocking me out of my thoughts again. "Are you in much pain?"

"I… I'm fine," I said again, still a bit stunned by everything that had happened. "Could you quit calling me Master, though?"

"But Master is Master. Why shouldn't I call you that?" he asked, tilting his head again.

"But I'm _not_ your master. I'm just Aoba," I said, sighing a bit. It was something I never understood- I didn't get why he calls me Master. Even from the first time we'd met, he called me that.

"Master is Master," he said again, more firmly, nodding rather matter-of-factly and not budging on the issue. I guess it was something else I didn't feel like pushing at the moment, I was too tired.

"Alright. Fine," I sighed after that, worn out. My headache was getting worse, and I just wanted to sleep.

As if reading my mind, Clear suddenly said, "If Master wants to sleep, he should. I'll guard Master."

I nodded for just a moment- it still hurt to move. "Thanks," I mumbled.

I shut my eyes, and tried to sleep, but my headache was getting worse and worse, and I couldn't get it to stop. I groaned softly, moving a hand to my head, and I heard Clear shift in his chair.

"Master? Are you in pain again?" he asked, more insistent this time.

"It's just… this headache, it's getting bad…" I said, squeezing my eyes shut in the hopes that somehow, it would make the pain fade. Maybe I should take some of Granny's medicine, just to be safe. Clear seemed to have an idea though, because I heard him straighten up.

"Oh! I know what to do," he said, going silent for a few moments- and then I heard it.

It was calm, soothing. It felt like something refreshing but warm was being wrapped all around me, like I was floating on a cloud instead of lying in pain on a bed. It was the most beautiful, peaceful sound I'd ever heard, and I felt the headache fading away fast, until it was finally gone, and I felt absolutely painless.

This sound…

Clear was _singing_.

And just as I fell into the most peaceful sleep I'd had in a long time, I felt a gentle hand run through my hair.

And it didn't hurt.

* * *

**A/N: It's possible I might extend this story or continue it in some form someday (exploring more crossed paths, maybe?), but for the time being it stands as a oneshot.**

**I hope you enjoyed!**

**Drop a review?**


End file.
